It has long been recognized that free flowing fluids can be dangerous to balance and control of vehicles. Tankers carrying less than full tanks of any fluid risk turnover when cornering, due to the centrifugal movement of the fluid to the outside dimension of the tank during the turn. The fluid weight will shift quickly and dramatically to the outside of the turn, upsetting the balance of the supporting vehicle. At best, this hinders proper vehicle control; at worst, the shifting weight will cause the vehicle to roll over.
Free fluid in smaller tanks also represents a problem even where weight shifting is not a serious problem. Shifting chemicals in a agricultural chemical tank, for example, can affect the application rate of the chemical. The chemical may shift away from the intake of the application pump, disrupting fluid flow to the pump even though sufficient fluid is available in the tank. Still further, sloshing fluids in tanks causes repeated stressing of the tank walls. Such repeated uneven stressing causes the material of the tank walls to gradually work-harden and fail.
Free fluid in nature in the form of waves and current may also be a great cause of erosion. Even structural seawalls and breakwaters may be broken and eroded by exceptional wave action that may occur during storms or flooding.
Clearly there has been a long felt need for an apparatus by which wave or fluid current forces may be dampened. The present apparatus is provided to fulfill this need as will be understood from the following description.